


Even When I'm Mad At You

by Quinn_Coveswena



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magnus deserves some appreciation for all he does
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 13:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16995471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinn_Coveswena/pseuds/Quinn_Coveswena
Summary: All couples fight. Even Malec.





	Even When I'm Mad At You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey lovelies! Thank you all so much for the amazing response to "With You." You all made me happier that you could imagine, and it really helped boost my confidence as a writer and as a writer in this fandom. I hope that you all enjoy this one as well. It is a bit of a 180 from the last one-shot, I know, so I'm even more interested to hear your feedback this time around! As always, a HUGE thank you for even reading this at all <3

“I need more from you! I need you to show that you actually care about what I do for all of you all the damn time!” Tears stung Magnus’s eyes as he shouted the words. He hadn’t wanted to fight with Alec tonight. He never wanted to. But his boyfriend needed to realize that a little gratitude goes a long way.

 

The entire time that he had known Alec he had been doing favors for the Shadowhunters. Saving their friend’s lives, summoning demons, fighting a genocidal megalomaniac. Hell, Magnus had even acted as an attorney for Alec’s sister and let Jace live with him! And he had done it all out of the goodness of his heart. 

 

True, Magnus had done that lawyer one in exchange for Alec’s bow and quiver, but he hadn’t actually taken them. But the Jace thing...Alec was lucky that he loved him and didn’t want him to get hurt if Magnus blasted Jace and his harem into next week. He knew that Jace had been going through a lot, and he felt for him, but he still displayed extremely rude guest behavior. 

 

Going off of how that whole situation began, Magnus hated how, despite being far better than the past generations of Shadowhunters, Alec’s friends still felt entitled that they just walked into his loft without so much as knocking first. Those past generations, when they weren’t trying to kill his kind, used Warlocks as though they were some kind of magical utility, a tool. Something that only had value if they could benefit from them in some way.

 

And that feeling of being used kept creeping up these past few months. Every portal, every summoning, everything he did for these Shadowhunters went so unappreciated. Had they been clients, had they not been friends, had it not been the love of his very long life, he would have sent them packing a long time ago with a Lego-hex to boot. 

 

But they were friends, and it was Alec, so he had kept quiet. He had bottled up his feelings on the matter because there was always something bigger at play, always something that would have made the issue seem trivial in comparison. The thing about bottling something up, however, is that at some point that bottle is going to crack open and explode. And that is exactly what had happened when Alec had shown up tonight asking for a potion that would take him several days to brew and use up most of his already dwindling supply of vampire hair and werewolf fangs.

 

Magnus hated that it was Alec who was getting the brunt of this. Any other Shadowhunter (yes, even Biscuit), he’d have snapped at and only felt minimal, if any, guilt about doing so. He’d have felt secure enough in being the one having been wronged that he wouldn’t have even tried to justify the situation to himself or to anyone else.

 

Alec, as always, complicated things. Alec wasn’t himself completely ungrateful for all that Magnus did. The omamori charm Magnus always had on him served as a constant reminder not only of Alec’s love but that Alec was the first person to do something for HIM in a very, very long time. And Alec did show his appreciation in little ways, but not always. And then there were the times it felt as though Alec just assumed that Magnus would do something for him because they were boyfriends. And that didn’t sit right with him either. 

 

Neither did the dumbstruck look on Alec’s face when Magnus did finally voice all of this, or the weak argument he had tried to give defending himself and the others.

 

Magnus took a deep breath, trying to steel his composure as he felt the tears begin to slip out of the corners of his eyes.  He leveled his gaze with Alec’s. “I think that it would be best if you spent the night at the Institute tonight,” he said, barely keeping his voice from trembling.

 

“Magnus—” Alec started to say, but Magnus didn’t let him finish before he turned and all but ran into the bedroom, using his magic to shut and lock the door behind him. 

 

He knew that Alec had seen him cry before, had comforted him while he had, but that didn’t mean he wanted him to see it now. Except that he did. Desperately. Even if he was still mad at him, he wanted Alec to be there. So when he heard the front door open and close again a few moments later the sound was enough to rip a sob right out of his chest.

 

Magnus sat on the floor, not quite having made it to the bed, and cried. He knew that Alec was just doing as he had said, and that he had been the one to send him away, but it still hurt. That coupled with everything that had reached a boiling point earlier had decimated whatever emotional restraint he had had left.

 

He barely heard the knock on the bedroom door. It was soft, hesitant. “Magnus?” came Alec’s voice from the other side. “Magnus, I’ll leave you alone if you really want me to, but...Magnus, please just open the door.”

 

Magnus hesitated a moment. He didn’t want to be alone, but he didn’t think that he could handle fighting anymore either. After taking another minute to make up his mind he sniffled and unlocked the door with a wave of his hand. 

 

He dried his eyes as best as he could as he heard the door slowly open. If they were going to fight more, he’d rather not have tears in his eyes while they did. He’d rather not look as weak as he felt, although he was sure was failing fantastically at that.

 

Alec approached him with gentle footsteps one wouldn’t think possible from a man of his size. Magnus stiffened slightly as he sat down beside him.

Alec’s voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore.” He slowly reached for Magnus’s hand, ready to pull away if his boyfriend didn’t want to be touched at the moment. Magnus didn’t stop him, turning his hand palm up instead so that they could lace their fingers together.

 

Alec gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to leave things like this. Can we talk? Please?”

 

Magnus searched for his voice for a minute. “I don’t want to either. But I don’t know what more there is to say.”

 

Aled took a deep breath. “There is more though. Because you’re right. And I was an idiot for even trying to argue with you on this. I’m sorry.”

 

Magnus turned to face Alec, and even in the dimness, he could see the truth in those hazel eyes. “All I want is a ‘thank you,’ Alexander. I don’t mind helping you. I really don’t. I just...”

 

“You just want some thanks in return. I hear you. And I promise that it is something that I will work on. I promise that it’s something I will bring up with the others too.” Alec reached out and cupped Magnus’s face with his free hand, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. “I’m sorry.”

 

Magnus placed his other hand on top of Alec’s and leaned in so that their foreheads rested against one another. “Thank you, Alexander. I forgive you.  And I promise to keep working on not shutting you out, even when we fight.”

 

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t fight at all,” Alec said in rueful voice.

 

Magnus chuckled gently. “I fear that it’s an inevitable thing for all couples, even us. It’s what you do after the fight is over that really matters.”

 

Alec tilted his head to press his lips against Magnus’s. “I love you, Magnus. No matter what.”

 

“I love you too. Even when I’m mad at you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I am incredibly thankful for you having read this, and I hope that you enjoyed it.


End file.
